The show will go on for one of the north’s most popular summer events tomorrow – after organisers pulled off a Herculean effort to dry out the sodden venue.
Torrential downpours across the north on Monday night left much of Tain flooded – just two days before the start of the town’s Highland Gathering.
Committee members spent yesterday battling to pump out huge pools of water from the Glenmorangie ground.
And last night the exhausted team confirmed the games would go ahead as planned.
Up to 5,000 people are expected to attend to watch track and field, dancing and cycling competitions as well as the traditional heavy contests.
Tain Highland Gathering secretary Fiona Sutherland said there was still some way to go but the ground was now in a firm enough condition for the team to start erecting the stalls and marquees today.
She said: “There is quite a lot of work still to do. We should have started setting up last night so we are a bit behind, but it should be a good day.”
The efforts to save the games followed a tense night for the town, which bore the brunt of the burst of thunderstorms that hit the north overnight on Monday.
Tain community centre was closed because of flooding and Lidl supermarket was also shut for several hours yesterday morning while workers cleared the premises.
The A9 Inverness-Thurso road was blocked overnight because of standing water at Morangie which spilled over and left the Highland gathering field deluged.
The fire service said it received a barrage of calls reporting flooding across the town itself, and a crew from Dornoch was called in to assist.
Firefighters spent more than four hours on standby in Manse Street in Tain, where water was threatening properties.
One resident said it was the third time this year that her home had been at risk of flooding and called for drains and gulleys in the area to be cleared to prevent further occurrences.
Councillor Alasdair Rhind praised emergency crews for their work to save properties from severe flooding.
He said: “We had a serious downpour and it has affected a few places in the town, there is some tremendous damage and mess.
“The quick action of fire brigade must be praised for preventing some properties from being damaged.
“I think that the fire brigade and the council handled the situation very well.”
Rail services between Fort William and Mallaig were cancelled because of mud and debris on the line at remote Lochailort following the downpours.
Network Rail engineers are assessing the problem and taking heavy equipment on site to clear the line.
The rain washed out material from underneath the track, leaving a short distance suspended in mid-air.
ScotRail laid on buses to take passengers between Mallaig to Fort William.
A Network Rail spokesman said the firm was hoping to have the line reopened by today.
Earlier rail services between Inverness and Nairn were also disrupted after a track electric circuit was damaged by a suspected lightning strike.